The Shaving Cadre
Welcome to The Shaving Cadre, a forum dedicated to gentlemanly discourse about wet shaving and other topics of common interests. Membership is always free so register today and join in the fun
Natterings of a Nasal Barbarian
- Thread starter jgreenepa
- Start date
jgreenepa
TSC's "Velveteen Shaver"
Thanks, Tim! It’s a surprisingly efficient shaver with an injector blade. One of my FB shave brothers uses it as his daily driver.
jgreenepa
TSC's "Velveteen Shaver"
Thanks, Dave!
jgreenepa
TSC's "Velveteen Shaver"
SOTD SUNDAY MAY 10, 2020
It’s a beautiful sunny, but cold day here in the Philly suburbs. It’s day two with the newly acquired Ronson Safety Razor. Since it’s single edge Sunday, it’s more than appropriate for me to continue my Ronson shave journey. Today my focus is on the dome, since I experienced two minor set down errors there during yesterday’s shave. The Ronson performed beautifully on my mug during that shave, but it’s the noggin that’s my focus today.
The Ronson weighs in at roughly 78 grams and most of that weight is concentrated in the head. The 2 5/8” handle is shorter than I’m used to, and yesterday I shaved with my grip just below the oversized head on this razor. That grip worked beautifully on the mug, but not so much on the dome. So today I tried gripping the end of the handle, which is the way I shave the dome with my Gems.
After my shower and iced water rinse, I whipped up a generous, thick and shiny lather with my Alpha Shaving 26mm two band badger T-400 Tribute brush. The Fine Snake Bite lather was surprisingly slick and delightfully cooling on both face and head. The new grip took a bit of getting used to, but worked beautifully in letting the weighty head of this razor do the shaving work on the dome. I gripped the razor just below the head as I do yesterday for the mug scrape.
The change-up worked well on the noggin. That sharp Schick Proline Injector blade mowed through the stubble with the new adjusted grip like a broom through dust, sweeping everything cleanly away. I found that the key to success was short careful strokes which worked particularly well ATG on the back of the dome. Bending forward over the sink allowed the razor head’s weight to do the job bloodlessly for the most part. I did reopen yesterday’s nick on the back of the dome, but only because I purposefully overshaved that area. Great shave overall, BBS on the face and DFS+++ on the dome. Another two pass(WTG, ATG) shave leaving me feeling clean, cool, smooth and ready to face the day.
RAZOR: Ronson Safety Razor
BLADE: Schick B-20 Proline Injector
PREP: Ice water rinse
BRUSH: Alpha Shaving T-400 Tribute w/ 26mm Two Band Badger Knot
SOAP: Fine Accoutrements Snake Bite
POSTSHAVE: Iced water wash with Glyce Glycerin soap followed by Thayers Lavender WH and Fine Accoutrements Snake Bite AS Splash. Finished with A&E Post-Shave Serum.
fhalden
"Like BarberDave… I make my own fun”
I lived in Overbook, in an apartment right over the SEPTA station in 1992. Philly was a great town, although as a starving musician, there was little I could enjoy besides the museum's and window shopping. And a cheesesteak at a place called Mama *something* in Bala Cynwyd. I played all the bars on South Street and around the area, playing keyboards and singing in a band called Edo, which members all still live and work in the area, and who still get together for the rare gig or two. I was 24, taking time out from college to pursue dreams of musical success, which although never realized, I do have loads of stories of varying degrees of weirdness and youthful excess. So Philly is a place I hold dear to my heart, although it's been 5 years since I visited.
Sent from my Pixel 2 XL using Tapatalk
jgreenepa
TSC's "Velveteen Shaver"
Philly’s been my home since 1976. Raised my family here, and spent the majority of my working life here. Buried one wife and married another. I love this town!
jgreenepa
TSC's "Velveteen Shaver"
SOTD MONDAY, MAY 11, 2020
I’ve really enjoyed shaving with the Ronson, and would probably continue, except I’d like to do my best to work through the rest of my rotation. I haven’t shaved for quite some time with my 2011 R41 mounted on a RazoRock SS Barber Pole handle. It was time for a shave with a contemporary safety razor, albeit one that demands total attention to shave technique. This is one razor that is truly unforgiving, and will happily bite if one’s focus wanders during the shave. Stirling Glacial Obsidian Soap and AS Splash salted with 6 drops of M-Bomb along with A&E Post-Shave Serum represented my software selection with the MrEE Hybrid Badger/Boar knotted Knurled Aluminum brush and TSB shave bowl my selected hardware.
This razor always provides a highly efficient, although not necessarily irritation-free shave. And that was definitely the case with this first shave. Fortunately, the shave was bloodless. The MrEE Brush - one of my favorites - whipped up a delightfully heady, rich, thick and shiny lather following my shower and ice water rinse. The smell of Anise permeated the bathroom and the lather felt wonderfully cooling on both mug and noggin. Riding the cap is the technique that always gets me through my R41 shaves, but not always unscathed. The software enhanced the shave experience greatly, but I can never relax when using this razor. The two pass (WTG, ATG) took some time given the short careful strokes I use with this particular shave tool, but the result was worth it.
I've never achieved a pure BBS with this razor, and did not this morning. That’s because I’ve learned that the only way to do so is to over shave around my problem areas. The result is typically a fair bit of irritation given the high efficiency of this razor. Rather than live with the burn around my Adam’s Apple and back of my head, I’ve learned to settle for an extremely close DFS+++. A BBS shave needs to pass the cotton ball test, and the very slight residual roughness doesn’t quite make it. But I’m still very happy with the shave which left me feeling very cool, clean and, while not quite as smooth as I like, refreshed! I do, however, feel the Ronson calling to me. For tomorrow’s shave it’ll be back to the Ronson, but with two stacked DE blades instead of the injector blade which has already delivered stellar shaves.
RAZOR: 2011 Muhle R41 head on RazoRock Barber Pole Handle
BLADE: Suneko
PREP: Iced cold water rinse
BRUSH: MrEE Hybrid Badger/Boar Hybrid Knot #007
SOAP: Stirling Glacial Obsidian
POSTSHAVE: Iced cold water wash with brush squeezings followed by Thayers Lavender WH and Stirling Glacial Obsidian AS Splash. Finished with A&E Post-Shave Serum.
jgreenepa
TSC's "Velveteen Shaver"
I enjoy shaving with it, but admit it’s definitely not a daily driver. It requires a serious focus on shave technique.
jgreenepa
TSC's "Velveteen Shaver"
SOTD TUESDAY, MAY 12, 2020
Welcome to M-Bombed (6 drops) Tabac Tuesday. As promised, I returned to my recently acquired Ronson, but did not use the stacked DE blades. The nipper I use for my Gibbs razors doesn’t provide a square nip, but rather a circular one which isn’t wide enough for the Ronson. I have a new nipper arriving Saturday that should solve the problem. But today’s shave was with a fresh Proline Injector.
I’m really growing to like this little razor. It provides beautiful BBS dome shaves. That is my threshold for any razor I shave with. It needs to perform for both mug and noggin. And this little beauty does in spades! I have, after a recent den reduction 59 razors with one (Blackland Tradere) on order. Every one of these meets my shaving criteria. If not, they’re gone!
The Ronson is right up there with my Shake Sharps as one of my favorite vintage SEs. I really don’t need to use DE blades in this razor, as the Injector performs excellently. I’m just curious to compare the Ronson to the Shake Sharp with stacked DE blades. That shave won’t take place until the weekend when the proper nipper arrives.
This morning’s shave couldn’t have gone better. I just love shaving with vintage razors. And the Ronson is a pip! It’s truly a joy to shave with. The Jayaruh Custom Boar #372 whipped up a prodigious cooling lather which the little Ronson swept away, taking with it most of the accumulated whiskers in that first WTG pass. The second ATG pass left me with that velveteen feeling only a stellar BBS provides. And best of all, the alum check revealed no heat which the Cryogen AS splash confirmed. I feel cool, smooth and refreshed!
RAZOR: Ronson Safety Razor
BLADE: Schick Proline B-20 Injector
PREP: Iced cold water rinse
SOAP: Tabac salted with 6 drops of M-Bomb
POSTSHAVE: Cold water wash with brush squeezings followed by Thayers Lavender WH and Chiseled Face Cryogen AS Splash. Finished with A&E Post-Shave Serum.
All Caught up Nice reads and Photos!
jgreenepa
TSC's "Velveteen Shaver"
Thanks, Dave!
jgreenepa
TSC's "Velveteen Shaver"
As it turns out the Ronson cannot work easily with DE blades, as I discovered. But thatks fine, it shaves beautifully with injector blades. I’m very happy with mine.
jgreenepa
TSC's "Velveteen Shaver"
SOTD WEDNESDAY, MAY 13, 2020
Well it had been too long without a shave from my favorite vintage SE, the GE Jones Shake Sharp Model 1.5. This remarkable little shaver never lets me down, and up until the arrival of my Ronson safety razor, seemed the only Vintage SE I owned that used standard DE blades. The jury is still out as to the practicality of using DE blades in the Ronson. I’m awaiting arrival of a tool On Saturday which I hope will allow such use. But back to the Shake Sharp. Most people are familiar with the metal handled versions, but the first, and what I feel the best is the original Bakelite handled version. The razor was designed in the late 30s during the carbon steel razor blade era with its own built-in hone to self sharpen these thicker blades. For whatever reason, but probably WWII, the razor wasn’t produced until the mid to late 40s. Unfortunately, this was during the advent of SS blades which didn’t sharpen well. But what I have learned is that stacked DE blades make this razor a winner. The thicker stacked blades do make it more difficult to cut oneself. I like to think of this razor as my birth year razor (1947).
Software for today’s shave consisted of Chiseled Face Cryogen soap and AS Splash. I used the Jayaruh Silvertip Badger Rosewood #378 for lather generation, and it delivered a very thick, cooling lather. My only gripe with this soap are the associated menthol fumes. Fine Snake Bite soap seems as cooling, but doesn’t overpower with menthol fumes like the Cryogen soap. After applying the Cryogen lather I needed to close my eyes for a minute or two because of the fumes. I needed to do this for each of the two passes (WTG, ATG). I really like menthol, but this particular soap and I just don’t get along. In any case, after the short waiting period with eyes closed preceding stubble removal for each pass, the Shake Sharp delivered it’s usual exemplary whisker reduction and delivered me again to BBS land. I feel clean, Smooth, cool and refreshed.
RAZOR: G.E. Jones Shake Sharp (Model 1.5)
BLADES: 2 Stacked Suneko
PREP: Cold water rinse
BRUSH: Jayaruh Custom Rosewood Silvertip Badger #378
SOAP: Chiseled Face Cryogen
POSTSHAVE: Cold water wash with Glyce Glycerin soap followed by Thayers Lavender WH and Chiseled Face Cryogen AS Splash. Finished with A&E Post-Shave Serum.
jgreenepa
TSC's "Velveteen Shaver"
SOTD THURSDAY, MAY 14, 2020
This morning I decided to shave with my Schick “Paul Revere” Injector produced in the mid 1970s as a collaboration between International Silver Co. and Schick. It is a Type L Injector and was an homage to the Revolutionary War Silversmith and featured a ‘cutlery’ inspired oversized handle.
Since I have large hands, the razor feels great, and delivers a first rate shave typical of the L Type Injectors. For my software I selected PannaCrema Nuavia Blu, Fine Accoutrements Platinum AS Splash and A&E Post-Shave Serum. I decided to lay off the menthol for this shave after my Cryogen experience yesterday. The Alpha Shaving T-400 Tribute was my brush of choice for which I selected the 26mm Two Band Badger ferrule.
After my shower and cold water rinse I went to work on the PannaCrema which smells so good! Being a nasal barbarian, that’s about as far as I get with scent descriptions. It’s a very rich, luxurious soap with great post shave skin feel. The “Paul Revere” Injector, while not as efficient as some of my other razors, reduced my whiskers in three successive bloodless passes (WTG, ATG, ATG) to just shy of the BBS level. The razor felt great in hand and left me feeling clean, smooth and refreshed!
RAZOR: “Paul Revere” International Silver Type L Schick Injector.
BLADE: Schick B-20 Proline Injector
PREP: Cold water rinse
BRUSH: Alpha Shaving T-400 Tribute w/ 26mm Two Band Badger Ferrule
SOAP: PannaCrema Nuavia Blu
POSTSHAVE: Cold water wash with brush squeezings followed by Thayers Lavender WH and Fine Accoutrements Platinum AS Splash. Finished with A&E Post-Shave Serum.
love the Razors and good reads and pics
jgreenepa
TSC's "Velveteen Shaver"
SOTD SATURDAY, May 16, 2020
Last night after a Zoom meeting with some TSD friends, I spent some time trying to organize my razors. In the process I rediscovered one of the two Cooper razors I own, a Cooper Monobilt and a Cooper Kant Rust. Both razors are great shavers, but I haven’t shaved with the Kant Rust in several months. The Kant Rust is a nickel plated moderately aggressive razor that sports a really cool Art Deco inspired handle design. It was manufactured in the very early thirties (1930-32 according to Worthpoint) in Brooklyn, NY and is a relatively rare razor. What I like about it is that it not only looks good, but it shaves great!
SWMBO left for the morning, so I grabbed my Fine Accoutrements Platinum AS and the Gillette Pure shave cream along with my MrEE Knurled Aluminum handled hybrid knot brush and proceeded to knock out a very pleasant shave. Since the razor is light, I loaded a Feather blade, rinsed my face with iced water, and had at it. The Gillette Pure generated a lovely, thick, yogurty lather that when enhanced with 6 drops of M-Bomb felt great on both mug and noggin. Three very slow comfortable passes (WTG, XTG, ATG) put the baby to bed leaving me with that delightful velveteen BBS scalp and mug. I feel clean, cool, smooth and refreshed!
RAZOR: Cooper Kant Rust
BLADE: Feather
PREP: Iced water rinse
BRUSH: MrEE Knurled Aluminum Hybrid Knot #007
CREAM: Gillette Pure
POSTSHAVE: Cold water wash with Glyce Glycerin soap followed by Thayers Lavender WH and Fine Accoutrements Platinum. Finished with A&E Post-Shave Serum.